A large number of different chemicals are available as flowable materials, which can include liquids, granules, pellets and powders. A variety of products can be formulated in these product formats. Examples of powders and granules include laundry detergents, presoak materials, floor cleaners and fertilizers. Pellets can comprise compressed alkaline detergent formulations for warewashing or laundry. Although these materials are commonly used in dilute aqueous form, they are frequently stored and shipped as solids in order to conserve considerable space and weight during transportation and warehousing. Because these materials generally need to be dissolved in water to create a dilute use solution, dispensing precise and accurate predetermined quantities is needed. Materials can also be stored as concentrated liquids. In this case, the dispensed material must be diluted to form the concentrate prior to final dilution at the end use. If the material in question is under-dispensed, the resulting use solution will be excessively dilute and possibly ineffective. Conversely, if too much material is dispensed, the resulting use solution will be too concentrated, which wastes material and possibly represents an unsafe condition. For example, if the flowable material is fertilizer, a too-concentrated use solution can burn the plants being fertilized.
Because these materials represent a significant expense, it is important to be able to dispense them without waste or spillage. In addition, it should be noted that many materials are restricted in their permitted release to the environment. Since spills can contribute to the amount of material released, it is important to minimize them. A substantial need exists for an accurate, easy-to-operate flowable material dispensing system which is capable of repeated accurate and precise dispensing of various predetermined amounts of material without spillage.